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The Ultimate Bartender's Guide

Mr. Boston: Official Bartender's and Party Guide

New American Bartender's Guide

Complete Home Bartender's Guide: 780 Recipes for the Perfect Drink

Big Bad-Ass Book of Shots: Over 1,400 Recipes to Get the Party Started

Knock yourself out.

Whether out on the town or hosting your own party, it never hurts to know a thing or two about shots. Here are all the basics about ordering the best shots at a bar or making even the most complicated shots yourself, including:

A breakdown of the basic types of shots
Detailed instructions for how to make layered shots
Dozens of shot recipes from the Four Seasons restaurant

Shots Basics

Served in 2-oz shot glasses, shots can be made from any sort of liquor or liqueur. They can range from the simple and direct, such as a straight shot of whiskey, to sophisticated and complex concoctions made by combining liquors, liqueurs, and other liquids such as water, juice, or cream.

How to Make a Shot

The methods you use to make a shot will depend on its ingredients and on how you want the finished shot to look.

Straight shots: For simple shots, such as a straight shot of tequila, making the shot is as simple as pouring the liquor into the shot glass.
Shaken and strained shots: Many shots are shaken and strained, which means that the ingredients are shaken in a mixing glass using a cocktail shaker, then strained into the shot glass through a strainer. For more detail on how to shake and strain a shot or cocktail, see the Quamut guide to Bartending.
Layered or floated shots: Layered or floated shots are the most complicated shots. Rather than mix the different ingredients together, you make these shots so that the different ingredients rest in the shot glass in distinct layers, creating a nice aesthetic effect. Layered shots are usually made with liqueurs and syrups.